Respirator



E. SOVINSKY Jan. 1, 1957 RESPIRATOR 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed June 15, 1951 Fig. 3-

INVENTOR. Eugene Savinsky a L F ATTO RNEY Jan. 1, 1957 SQVINSKY 2,775,967

RESPIRATOR Filed June 15, 1951 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR. Eugene Sayinsky QM W ATTORNEY Un d see Peer RESPIRATOR Eugene Sovinsky, Edgewo'od, Md., assignor to the United States of America as represented byithe. Secretary of theArmy The invention described herein may be manufactured and used by or for"th Government for governmental purposes, without payment tome of any royalty thereon. This invention relates generally to respirators or masks and particularly to those for protection against harmful airborne bacteria, war gases, aerosols and radioactive particles.

It is an object of this invention to provide a simplified, protective mask which lends itself to mass production.

It is another object of this invention to provide an effective, protective mask which can be stored for long periods without deteriorating and which can be used immediately when needed without any treatment.

It is a further object of this invention to provide an economical, disposable, protective mask which does not include a canister nor an outlet valve.

It is a specific object of this invention to provide an economical, disposable, protective mask in which the facepiece is substantially made of a one-piece filter paper blank and which therefore can be mass produced.

With the foregoing and other objects as will subsequently appear, the invention resides in certain parts and combinations of parts as will be more fully disclosed. Like reference characters refer to like parts throughout the drawings, wherein: Fig. 1 is a side elevation of the device shown mounted on a head, with parts broken away and parts shown in section. Fig. 2 is a front elevation of the device. Fig. 3 is a rear elevation of the device with parts broken away. Fig. 4 is a sectional view taken on line 44 of Fig. 2. Fig. 5 is a sectional view taken on line 55 of Fig. 2. Fig 6 is an elevation of the facepiece blank. Fig. 7 is a sectional view taken on line 77 of Fig. 1. Fig. 8 is an elevation of the lens member.

Referring to Figs. 1 and 2 the simplified mask is designated as 10 and generally comprises a facepiece 12 having lenses 14 and headstraps 16 secured thereto.

The facepiece construction is a particularly important feature of my invention and therefore will be described in detail. Facepiece 12 is fabricated from a pad of one or more layers of filter paper which have been impregnated with activated micronized charcoal. It has been determined that a particularly effective facepiece is one which is fabricated from a pad which comprises from 4 to 7 layers of filter paper, and which is cut out of the pad according to a predetermined pattern such as the one illustrated in Fig. 6. The facepiece blank 20 shown in Fig. 6 includes lens openings 22, chin dart 24, forehead ice shows seam 33 which closes the other forehead dart 26. Figs. 4 and 7 show stitching 34 which secures chin dart 24 andlower edges 28 and 30 together.. After closing the forehead darts, the chin dart and the lower edges, the facepiece blank 20 substantially assumes its final assembled condition illustrated in Figs. 1 and 2. Transparent lens members 18 which are preferably constructed of a plastic material, and which are shaped substantially as shown in Fig. 8 are cemented to the inner side of the facepiece in a position whereby their lens portions 14 cover lens openings 22 and their extensions 36 extend downwardly toward the chin portion (see Figs. 2 and 3). Extensions 36, which may be integrally formed with lens portions 14 or be separate members, constitutestifieners which prevent the facepiece from collapsing. After lens members 18 are cemented to the facepiece, the periphery of the lens members 18 and the portions of the inner side of the facepiece adjacent thereto are coated with rubber latex which the reby forms a rubber coating 38which constitutes an effective seal between the inner side of the lens members 18 and the inner side of the facepiece. The juncture between the outer side of the lens portions 14 and the edges of the openings 22 is covered by waterproof adhesive tape 40 which constitutes an effective seal between the outer side of the lens portions 14 and the outer side of the facepiece. If desired, a single lens member can be substituted for the two lens members 18.

Headstraps 16 which are constructed of thin, rubber, dental dam are secured to the periphery of the facepiece either by stitching 31 in the step of stitching the periphery of blank 20 or by additional stitching (not shown). A flat strip 42 of rubber, dental dam is sewed to the inner peripheral edge of the facepiece and extends toward the center thereof (see Figs. 3 and 4). Strip 42 constitutes a resilient face mounting which hugs the face of the wearer when the mask is mounted for use, thereby sealing the interior of the mask from the atmosphere. The periphery of the facepiece, the forehead dart seams, the chin dart seam, the lower edges, the face mounting 42, and the headstraps 16 are then dipped into rubber latex. This step produces a coating 44 of rubber on the mask over the portions which has been immersed in the rubber latex which seals all the stitching and seams rendering them gastight. This step also results in the formation of a continuous headharness and mask.

When the mask is fully assembled, it is rigidly maintained conically shaped by extensions 36, and the interior of the mask constitutes an air chamber of ample capacity. As is apparent from the drawings, the mask does not include a canister nor an outlet valve. Due to the fact that the facepiece is constructed largely of a filtering medium, filtration is obtained over nearly the entire surface area of the facepiece. The gas life and other protective qualities of the mask is dependent upon the specific type of filter pad used. If desired, the facepiece could be constructed of a pad of filtering fabric or cloth. When its use is necessary, this mask can be used immediately without any treating with liquid or solid chemicals. Because of the particular material of which this mask is constructed, this mask may be stored in a suitable container, such as a plastic bag, for long periods of time without deterioration of the active ingredients. When constructed with an eflective rubber dam peripheral seal, this mask affords excellent protection against airborne bacteria, war gases, aerosols and radioactive particles.

From the foregoing description of the mask and the method of making the mask, it will be observed that the mask can be economically produced in large quantities by employing mass production dressmaking methods. This meritorious feature, which results from the design of the mask and from the materials used in its construction, is one of the important advantages of my mask over prior devices.

From the foregoing disclosure, it is apparent that an effective, economical, protective mask has been provided which fulfills each of the objects of the invention.

1. A gas mask comprising a facepiece formed substantially entirely of a sheet of filter material, said filter material comprising a plurality ofplies of filter paper impregnated with finely divided activated carbon, said sheet being so formed that its edge extends across the forehead, down the sides of the head and under the chin in tight contact, while the front extends outwardly a substantial distance from the face thereby forming an air chamber, a separate eyepiece for each eye formed of stiff transparent material, and an elongated stiffener of rigid material connected to each said eyepiece adjacent the middle of the facepiece and extending longitudinally thereof to stiffen the front of said facepiece and hold said facepiece away from the face, sealing means sealing the edges of said sheet and an elastic head harness secured to the edges of said sheet.

2. A gas mask as defined in claim 1, in which said filter consists of a flat sheet which is generally rectangular but which has the upper corners cut on an angle of about 45 to the top and sides, the lower edge portion being folded at its mid-point and the two halves of the lower edge being fastened together forming a roughly conical structure.

3. A gas mask as defined in claim 2 in which said head harness is formed of thin resilient rubber, in which said sealing means comprises a coating of latex covering the edge portions of said sheet; and further comprising a strip of thin resilient rubber encircling the periphery of said sheet, joined at one edge to the edge of said sheet, and extending inwardly beneath said sheet to prevent leakage between said sheet and the face.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,410,928 Knoblock Mar. 28, 1922 2,247,925 Sebrell July 1, 1941 2,494,406 Reitano Jan. 10, 1950 2,537,992 Gross et a1 Jan. 16, 1951 FOREIGN PATENTS 103,901 Great Britain Feb. 15, 1917 569,708 Germany Feb. 7, 1933 

